"This is the most knowledgable group I've ever been associated with (23 years). It is also the most unselfish and there is never any name calling or putting members down. ValueForum has helped me be very successful."

"ValueForum is comprised of a large and growing, diverse, knowledgeable group of investors. The attribute you should appreciate that this wonderful group makes available to you as an incoming member is Generosity. Research, firsthand sector sophistication, source references and sometimes remarkably insightful analyses are given freely by the members so you may do your own due dilligence in making informed investment decisions."

"ValueForum is the gold standard, valuable because of the exceptional people who post here, and because the best of them are candid, detailed and informed. There is little tolerance for the b.s. found on public boards, and management and members are vigilant and aggressive about TOS violations. VF is the gold standard."

"There is power in numbers. It's obvious that most brokers don't have a clue of what they recommend to clients. Rarely do they own what they are talking about. Here at VF it's real. Real people with real positions giving their takes on the good w/ the bad. "Knowledge always beats strength" is a great quote. Here, at VF, I hope to see the sharing of knowledge become our strength."

"ValueForum has been the most valuable tool I have ever come across when it comes to managing my investments. I can honestly say that the information shared on ValueForum has led me to retire earlier than expected. This is a wonderful investment site, period."

"The most important thing I have learned at VF in the last 3 years reading all you smart peoples posts is money management. This is usually not taught by our parents."

"This is a site for sharing information about the atypical investments that the majority of investors have not discovered. It is about finding the next value/growth sector/investment before all the major houses on the Street are recommending it."

"VF is a great group of value seeking investors, who are most generous in sharing their research, news, business expertise, and investment experience. It is an invaluable resource, and brings many 'lessons learned' to the group."

"I absolutely LOVE ValueForum, and consider this site the most important tool I have for investing and/or trading because of the incredible information at just one site. I have learned so much from reading messages posted here that I recommend to the new comer to select an area of investing that is of interest and then read those posts starting with most current. I am sure you will gain information and learn techniques that can be applied to other areas/sectors of investing. This is an 'Invaluable' forum."

"The collective wisdom of the members and distributed in an unselfish manner is what I find to be the most valuable asset of the group."

"No friend, no book, no broker, no advisor, no expert has ever provided a tenth what I am able to find here. The best money I have EVER spent, is for membership."

"This site is a gem, and based on the posts by many members and my personal experience it is a site for learning, sharing and especially making money."

"ValueForum has meant the difference between mediocre and stellar stock performance, peace of mind about retirement and meeting and making wonderful friends. VF is simply the BEST."

"It [ValueForum] has provided me with eye opening information on a wide scale. The collective wisdom of the membership is astounding and somewhat intimidating; but useful input is appreciated pretty universally."

"Since being one of the beginning members, it has been a great experience. This select group of sophisticated investors has exceptional knowledge to share. The members come from all walks of life and have varied experiences. Many are experts in finance and commodity related issues. Many are good money managers. This is a value oriented group where good yields on a variety of stocks are the main focus."

"I joined almost three years ago and have never been sorry. The search features here are terrific."

"ValueForum is a great group of very smart, sophisticated investors. We have several professionals on board managing millions of dollars, and "average Joe" investors that beat the pants off of Wall Street professionals year in and year out. ValueForum will expose you to a wealth of ideas and sectors, and keep you ahead of the curve."

"VF is the place to be to pick up on new and proven investment ideas."

"At VF I have met some of the greatest givers from all walks of life and from all parts of the world. I thank each of them for sharing part of their life and knowledge with me."

"VF is an awesome community of bright, serious, passionate and involved individual investors. Information is well organized into fine-grained topics and discussions are always on topic and relevant. People here certainly know what value is and this site itself is a great reflection of that. I feel honored and privileged to have found such a great resource and to be part of it!"

"ValueForum has been a life changer for me. Due to the generosity of a remarkable group of people I quit work at the age of 53 to invest/trade full time. ValueForum is like having a thousand set of eyes watching the markets for you, there is no way an individual working alone could begin to keep up with all the information that as a member of this group you are able to keep up with. Take my right arm but don't take my ValueForum!"

"I have been a VF subscriber for one year and have found the members here generally to be informed, intelligent, articulate people of good will. The knowledge I've gathered has been well worth the price of tuition, and the subscription fee has been repaid many-fold in investment gains."

"This last year I have subscribed to two investment services, ValueForum and a well known income newsletter. ValueForum costs a little over 200 per year. The income newsletter costs about 400 per year. I am up 11% on investments made because I heard about them on ValueForum (of course, I do my own research on everything but the ideas came from ValueForum and there was always some discussion of the pros and cons of each investment on VF). I am down 8% on investments made because I heard about them from the income newsletter. I might also add that I often hear about breaking events immediately on ValueForum and a day or two later the same information is finally available from the newsletter. Hmmm...... which service is the better value?"

"This is one of the brightest and most generous groups you will ever come across. While I firmly believe everyone has something to contribute to the collective wisdom, this is pretty much a left-brain group. Facts, evidence, and reasoned argument will earn you respect, even if some disagree with you."

"VF has been a blessing to me and my family. Even if you are not a big contributor, the information is there for you to read. It is amazing that the fine members of VF will openly help and provide ideas to enhance each others investing."

 "Guidance and
Testimonial" messages to new and prospective VF members, from current members

Message from sysop (246 ):

Welcome to ValueForum! This page is a collection of messages from current members, with the goal to provide testimonials and guidance to help new and prospective members learn what's great about VF, what you should expect (and what is expected of you), and helpful hints that should come in handy as you enter this fantastic community of investors. Entering a community of investors, learning about the site and its features, and jumping into the discussions as a new member can be difficult and trying, so we hope that with the following guidance and suggestions from current members you will have an easier time as a "newbie" to VF.

Welcome! My name is Adam Menzel and I am one of the founders and system operators of ValueForum, along with
Ben Nobel ("sysop") and Daniel Pedisich ("danielp"). My tip to you is to familiarize yourself with the Coffee Shop area
and use it whenever posting anything off-topic (i.e. not directly related to investing, like jokes, politics, etc). It is
also the area where you can post "Suggestions To Sysop" and where we make system announcements. If you ever have
any questions, you can always feel free to private post me in the Coffee Shop area (or send an email to
info@valueforum.com, or call our office at 1-866-315-6971, 9AM-5PM Eastern time,
M-F, closed market holidays).

My tip is to spend your first few weeks not posting anything, but simply reading and learning. This will give you
some time to get a feel for the group and where your particular ideas and expertise might fit in. A good way to make your
first post might be to reply to an existing thread where you can make a point or provide some information that has not yet
been presented by another member, and in the same post you can introduce yourself. Also, as soon as you've joined VF, fill out your user profile! Good luck, and welcome!

VF is literally the best web site on the Internet for investors bar none . Its a real time collection of news , experiences , data sharing , opinions that you can never get from bigger sites like TheStreet.Com or Motley Fool . It allows you to gather multiple opinions you can never get from speaking to a stock broker or their analysts .

This is a post I made back in July 2005 at http://www.valueforum.com/forums/show.mpl?keywords=1122299825.3.11898900966128&so=200507 that was pretty well received.

-=-=-=-

Since I am on the road, I have very little time to read VF, and I have been adding folks to my ignore list like crazy. When I do, I have been keeping a file of why I have been adding people. Since this topic came up, this is what my file looks like as of this morning . . .

This is a work in progress . . .

Messages That Get People on My Ignore List:

1) Anybody know anything about XXX?

Translation: I heard about this stock on {Pick One or more: a neighbor, a yahoo board, BubbleVision} and it sounded good, but I am not going to waste my time telling you about WHY I am interested in the stock, nor am I gonna waste my time doing a search on ValueForum or to check the ValueForum stock ratings. Instead I want you guys to start a long thoughtful discussion about the pros and cons of owning it so I don't have to waste my time doing my own DD.

Alternate Translation: I own a bunch of this stock, and I sure would love for some of the gurus on VF to talk it up so that it would climb in price.

2) What is the ticker symbol for ZZZ?

Translation: I am a clueless person who doesn't know how to pick up the phone and call my broker or how to use the search functions on my broker's web site, or how to use the Yahoo lookup or Google or any of a zillion other sources, but instead I want you guys to tell me what it is (never mind telling you what I want it for - to make a trade (where I would need my broker's symbol), to look it up on Yahoo (which would require a different symbol), or to look it up on the exchange where it is traded (which might be yet another symbol).

3) Why is stock YYY down (or up) today?

Translation: I know absolutely nothing about this stock and what forces influences it, and as a result, I don't know where to even start looking. If it is a commodity play, I don't understand how commodity prices influence it's future earnings and divvys. I don't know how to use Edgar to see if they made a filing about a secondary or a big insider sell. I don't know what it's competitors are, and how news of it's competitors will influence the outlook for this stock. I don't even know how to search for news on this stock. Instead, I want you guys to take your eyes off the market and clue me in.

4) Posting any and every news item about every stock traded on every exchange, in full, including the advertisements & disclaimers - especially if it contains tables and they are not formatted in such a way they can be readable. Much better is a shorter post such as:

XYZ announced [good earniings, great divvy, a merger, etc., etc.] - for the full release see http://biz.yahoo.com/blah.blah.blah

5) Posting full articles expression from some odd-ball news source about somebody who nobody ever heard of's opinion about where {pick one or more: oil, gold, coal, the dollar, etc.} is headed. I much prefer to read facts . . . oil production is up . . . demand for copper is higher . . . inventories of something or other is at a all-time low.

Opinions are like belly buttons - every body has one. Some folks have opinions that move markets, however, and that is news, but to post every article from some gold-bug board about the imminent crash of the western economic system is just too much.

Value Forum is a collection of many different investing and trading styles and unbelievably broad and deep industry knowledge. The flow of investing ideas is like a fire hose. The trick is to learn which members post ideas that fit well within your investing objectives and comfort levels. Then, for variety, invest a small amount of money outside your comfort level to stretch your horizons a bit. No matter your preference for mattress stuffers or zebras, money making ideas are in abundance in VF.

Welcome to VF...It's a Great Investor Community & Resource...FWIW...Learn to navigate the VF system...The VF Archives are a Valuable tool...Prior Comments & Research...Spend a little time with the VF search features...An Excellent Value...Verify & Do Your DD...

I have been investing for over 30 years and up until about 3 years ago, I thought I was an average investor even though I spent a lot of time researching and trying to pick good growth stocks, via valueline and IBD, CANSLIM, stock letters, Barrons, etc. I always suspected there was a small group of people who REALLY knew how to make money in the stock market. I also thought that they probably associated with one another. I am not talking about the BIG money guys on wallstreet, I am talking about people who were just significantly savvier about investing and made very good money at it.

Then I got layed off from a tech start up and took the summer off/slowly looked for a job. During that time I decided to really try to figure out how to time the market and how to REALLY make money in the market. I discovered a couple of discussion boards, TEI and PVX, ERF, etc. I also, by chance found a guy on the cstx board who used some very accurate indicators for market timing. I met people like Bond_dadddy, xstock, RJW, jdcarter, HHill, inthegreen, bertco, etc. These were the folks I always thought had to exist. I started reading every post by BD, x, RJW etc. I did back testing on my timing indicators and determined that except in the rare occasion it would give me quite accurate bottom and top indicators. I lost about 8 months of salary but gained great knowledge. If someone had said "would you spend $120K to know how to make real money in the market?" I would have told them to get lost, but that is essentially what I did.

In the last two years, I got rid of my IBD subscription, dumped all my stock letters and spent all my spare time on a few boards reading, reading, reading. I changed my investment style completely and also my portfolio. Changed my handle to Dig4Value because that was my new process. And in the summer of 2002 I started really making money in the market. My retirement, which had been hurt by the tech crash, started to recover and then flourish. Sure, 2003 was an extraordinary year for those who were following BD, HH, x etc. But even through the volatile spring of 2004 and NFI and all, I am making much more gains then ever before. My retirement is back to where I feel I will retire comfortably, but what is better is that I know that when I am retired I will be able to manage my retirement funds quite successfully and my wife and two small daughters will be able to live well even during my retirement. This is all due to the folks of VF.

The V F board is like the huge pearl in the oyster. Once you find it, you can hardly believe it. So much market knowledge, so much generosity, so much help. It must be diligently looked after and kept from harm, unique as far as I know.

I can only hope to periodically contribute to the VF in some small ways to help others.

I want you all to know I pray for you folks often.

Thank you, ThanK YOU, THANK YOU,

Dig4Value

Update 1/1/2007 I wrote the above post about 2.5 years ago just after joining Value Forum and my sentiments have, if anything, gotten stronger. For me it has meant the difference between mediocre and stellar stock performance, peace of mind about retirement and meeting and making wonderful friends. VF is simply the BEST.

Internet boards often allow us to speak a little more harshly then we would otherwise. My suggestion to new members is this: 1. First spend a few days reading all the posts your can 2. Never, NEVER use harsh language or talk down to a VF member. Treat them like family you haven't seen in a while and want to get to know better. 3. When you recommend a stock, do your homework and DD. It will be appreciated. 4. When you get a red thumb, don't react. Do you get honked at once and a while, well that is probably because the other guy is having a really rough day. let it go. 5. Spend time looking at stock recommendations and members portfolios. You will find some diamonds just laying there. 6. As BCraft says: "Lets make some money and Have some FUN" 7. IF you can don't miss the Yearly Invest Fest conference. It is a BLAST! 8. And if your are so inclined, pray for Value Forum and its members, they are folks with needs just like everyone else.

Good investing and trading to you,

Dig4Value

Update July 2, 2014.

Twelve years with ValueForum. I have been retired now for about 1 year. My two girls are both in expensive private colleges, one is an engineering major and one is graduating next year and will be going on to Med-school. I am not worried about how I will afford this. The affect of VF on my retirement is nothing short of astounding. This year I have made more money with my investments in the last 6 months than two years of my old salary as a very high paid microchip engineer. I don't worry about money, and I simply enjoy the process of investment and discussions with my good friends on VF, what I like to call my VF family. I have been with these folks on VF for over a dozen years, through thick and thin; through the highs of 2006 and the melt down of 2008 and back to the highs of 2014, all of it. I can honestly tell you it has been the best thing I could have found for investing. PERIOD. It has also been a great place to meet wonderful caring, sharing, intelligent, creative people. I look back and have calculated that my average compound rate of return or CAGR over the dozen years is about 24%. Do the math you will see that it means that I have about 13 times what I started with, all this while providing for my family etc.

When people ask me what they should do with $2000 to start investing, I always tell them "spend the first $300 on a year's subscription to ValueForum." It is the BEST advice I can give them. You can give a man a fish, or you can teach him to fish. With a Value Forum membership and some diligent time spent studying they will turn that $1700 into many many thousands. I am convinced of it.

New members: Please treat VF as the jewel it is. Always post with respect for the other members. NEVER use harsh language or words. If someone wrongs you, turn the other cheek. It is just not worth it. VF is much too valuable to tarnish or damage.

Thanks for Joining ValueForum, You will never regret it if you follow those rules above. VF is simply the Best investment forum on the planet and you have found it. Congratulations, and thank who ever told you about it.

And don't forget to attend the annual Inve$tFe$t conference where you will meet some of these great folks in person. It is well worth the trip and the ideas you gain there will pay for the trip many times over.

Welcome to ValueForum. You've joined the very best investing board in the country whether your profile is high risk/high reward all the way to conservative/adverse to risk & volatility. This is a monitored board where civility & helpfulness rule. I would suggest the 1st thing new members do is fill out their profile & then lurk for a while until they get a lay of the land. The vast majority of our members try to be helpful & this website offers many features that range from "shared portfolios' to "ratings & contests" all the way to "coffee shop" where non investing issues can be discussed.

Share as other will share with you. Don't be selfish. A huge ego out of the chute will only give you grief. Prove your worth and don't expect everyone to annoint you an expert without proving that you have something of value to offer. Don't get personal. Tons of years of knowledge on VF that would humble even the most sage investor if they would check their ego in at the door. Don't shoot the messenger. Wasting the boards time like promoting an investment without supporting facts will not make you friends. Be forthright in your recommendations as VF'ers trading can move an investment. VF'ers hate when a VF'er has recommend a stock, then sold it but forgot to change their recommendation. Best of luck.

I am approaching the end of my first year on VF. I have enjoyed the exchange of information, and have made a lot of money from ideas exchanged on this forum. I would recommend VF to any serious investor, and I will never be without it.

Being polite is expected here, unlike many other investment sites, so be prepared to be polite.

This is a unique forum. It is at times, educational, it is at times, supportive, it is at times, demanding. Getting the most out of your membership will involve both giving and sharing of investment ideas and strategies. Please consider, as you begin to participate on the sharing side, that this is not a pump and dump forum. Thus, it is incumbent upon everyone who promotes an investment idea, to describe the due diligence done in support of the idea, the conclusions drawn, the reaoning behind those conclusions, etc,. That will allow you to begin a dialogue, or participate fully in one underway, that involves the stocks, or sectors, that hold interest for you.

This forum can be rewarding if you put energy and intellect into it. Without both of those in good quantity, you will fail to get all the value possible from it.

Value Forum has been a life changer for me. Due to the generosity of a remarkable group of people I quit work at the age of 53 to invest/trade full time. Value Forum is like having a thousand set of eyes watching the markets for you, there is no way an individual working alone could begin to keep up with all the information that as a member of this group you are able to keep up with. Take my right arm but don't take my Value Forum!

I was required to retire in 2003 by the FFA, age 60 International Airline Captain.

My skills for flying were now worthless.

I had to find another skill to produce income for my living expenses and I decided that I would try investing. Spent a year on AOL and the other boards until I found ValueForum.

Everything changed, from someone that did not know a thing about investing, ValueForum taught me how to use the skills of flying and apply them to the skills of investing.

Everything I have learned about investing I have learned from the Members of ValueForum.

I attend around 4 investing seminars a year to add to my investing knowledge, but none match ValueForum.

INVE$TFE$T is by far the best.

When I asked to "Keep it Simple" it is because I learn more from our "Face to Face" discussions than from any any other part of INVE$TFE$T.

I like the give and take which is much like we do here on ValueForum.

I asked for more time to pick each other's brains because you can put a face with a ValuForum handle and get the real feel of the poster's ideas for the next post they make.

Those talks in the hall or over dinner or a drink are where the real meat of information are exchanged.

The "Clueless Loser" discussions are worth their weight in gold.

If you have never been to an INVE$TFE$T before, come, you will not be beat upon, you will find that the people who share information with you on our board are your friends, off the board also.

We all know each other better than we think.

The Members that put on INVE$TFE$T work themselves silly, Help them, Thank them, they are not paid for putting on INVE$TFE$T, they do this because they want to payback our Members for the Value of ValueForum.

INVE$TFE$T is the Best Investment you can make in just a few days.

When you come to INVE$TFE$T stay at our IF-Hotel, the only way we get the meeting rooms is from the block of rooms we have committed to us, you might save a few dollars at another hotel, but the other Members will pay for the meeting rooms.

Suggestions,

Name Tags, Make our ValueForum name the BIG NAME on the name tags.

Angel support, I will make a contribution, but not this year, I want the deduction next year, not this year. Provide a way for us to make a pledge, but pay next year after the taxes go up.

A special THANKS to those that put all this work into INVE$TFE$T for us, the Members.

What we do here baffles my non VF friends, they don't know how we trust and respect each other enough to make investing decisions based upon a post from a "Stranger."

Watta bargain for $250.00 a year.

We are not "Strangers" here, we are Friends and Members of ValueForum and we are gonna go to INVE$TFE$T together and

Welcome to ValueForum or VF as we call it. I joined almost three years ago and have never been sorry. The search features here are terrific. There is also a lot of subject matter expertise on the board with a coffee shop for political (or politically incorrect) comments and subject matter.

Some thoughts for new members: 1. fill out your profile. Unless you are prevented from doing so by your employer, this is a real good way for people to understand what you bring to the party or what you are looking to learn. 2. Spend some time figuring out what is here and how to use it. Stock ratings and contest picks are a great way to see if the stock you are looking at has been mentioned before or a great way to go "dumpster diving" for new ideas. On the upper left where it tells you how many members are on line, you can do a member sort by alpha, date joined, and feedback stars to see who the prominent posters are. Look at the "discussion by topic" for other ideas. 3. This board is a ton different from public message boards. You will see that you are expected to know where to find a stock symbol or when the ex-dividend date falls, and above all its ok to disagree, but all CAPS or flaming is not a way to do it.

VF has really changed my life and made me much more wealthy than I ever expected. If you study the stock market (and there are lots of smart posters here to provide guidance) you can make a lot of money. From January of 2009 until today (August of 2012) I have averaged a return of around 40 percent per year. While this rate is likely not sustainable, I believe I can beat the market averages every year. This is the best place in the world to learn about smart investing/trading.

VF has been a blessing to me and my family. Even if you are not a big contributor, the information is there for you to read. It is amazing that the fine members of VF will openly help and provide ideas to enhance each others investing.

VF is comprised of a large & growing, diverse, knowledgeable group of investors. The attribute you should appreciate that this wonderful group makes available to you as an incoming member is Generosity. Research, firsthand sector sophistication, source references and sometimes remarkably insightful analyses are given freely by the members so you may do your own due dilligence in making informed investment decisions. Once you become comfortable in navigating your way around this wonderful site, I encourage you to participate by giving anything back to the group that you feel may help others. When you Give here you are rewarded with more value than you can imagine.

ValueForum is a great group of very smart, sophisticated investors. We have several professionals on board managing millions of dollars, and "average Joe" investors that beat the pants off of Wall Street professionals year in and year out. ValueForum will expose you to a wealth of ideas and sectors, and keep you ahead of the curve.

To get the most out of this tool we call ValueForum, there are a few pointers, many of which has already been said, but I'll repeat them for summary purposes: 1). Fill out your profile. This gives you credibility to some who would ignore you otherwise. 2). Chose to embed comments in posts. This can be done from the "My Settings and Portfolio" page. Sometimes there is better info in the comments to a post than the actual post itself (such as the answer to a question), and by adding quick comments to posts we cut down on the total number of posts. 3). Make use of the comments to a post rather than replying to the post with a separate post. 4). Bring ideas to the table. VF as a tool works because people share ideas. Not all ideas are for everybody, but the more ideas floating make for a better pool to draw from. Different ideas are OK, they prevent groupthink. Contrarian viewpoints are encouraged. Ideas are what makes VF a great tool, and without them, this board will dry up. 5). Only you can prevent clutter! Leave Off-topic stuff at home. We have a separate board for political rants, stories about grandkids, crude jokes, neat websites, etc. We call it the Coffee Shop. Before making any post, you should ask yourself if 1200 people should really spend their time reading this message, and will it make them any money? 6). We are not Pump-and-Dumpers. If you like a stock and think it will make other people money, by all means tell us about it. However, if you're going to tell us about your favorite stock, you better lay out WHY we should spend our time looking into it. Tell us the story about the stock, and lay out the case. Messages of "everyone should buy XYZ right now!" will get you ostracized pretty quick. 7). Read the VF terms of service. We take them pretty seriously here. Especially about not reposting other peoples stuff on different sites, and treating other people civilly. You can disagree with someone about something (most VFers love debates about stocks), but you must be civil. Stick to facts when arguing about a stock, leave ego and emotion behind. 8). Take advantage of the "Search" feature. We have had many debates here, so if you have a question, it's probably already been hashed out in the past. 9). Don't rely on VF to give you answers you could probably look up for yourself. Posts of things like "Whats the ticker for XYZ" when you could look it up yourself several different ways will get you ostracized fairly quickly.

I recommend lurking for about a week or two before jumping in to post. We have our own language here which can sometimes be daunting, but you will get tons of actionable ideas from them.

Been with VF almost a year now and have learned a lot about investing that has more than paid for my membership. Being frugal with my money, it took a lot for me to join VF but have never regretted my decision to grow and learn from peers on VF. I enjoy the informal polls and posting articles on VF when I find something of value that is worth sharring. I don't put my own opinion on the post very offten as most people on VF don't like the process. But is is OK to post articles written by some one else presenting their opinions. A little of a double standard, but there is value in keeping the due diligence honest. I also like that other VF members are becoming part of the family. They seem genuine in careing about other members well being.

This last year I have subscribed to two investment services. Value Forum and a well known income newsletter.

Value Forum costs a little over $200 per year.

The income newsletter costs abou $400 per year.

I am up 11% on investments made because I heard about them on Value Forum (of course, I do my own research on everything but the ideas came from Value Forum and there was always some discussion of the pros and cons of each investment on VF).

I am down 8% on investments made because I heard about them from the income newsletter.

I might also add that I often hear about breaking events immediately on Value Forum and a day or two later the same information is finally available from the newsletter.

What I like about VF: It doesn't have the disruptive individuals present that ruined the yahoo stock boards. VF was a place for me and my friends to move when the yahoo boards became so very unfriendly a few years back. In essence, our virtual community provided the critical "intellectual mass" to help VF become an attraction on the internet for serious investors of all stripes. In return VF provided a secure, reliable place for our community to reside. It was a great partnership, and it continues to thrive because the partnership continues to be mutually benefitial. VF kept good faith with the community by continuing to make improvements and providing tools to help the investors to work and learn together. VF is a great place, and will likely continue to be a great place to learn and share knowledge to help ourselves and our friends make money in the markets.

What new or prospective members should expect at VF: Expect the opportunity to learn, share and cooperatively develop new ideas and strategies for making money in securities [primarily stocks]. Expect the opportunity to meet people who you can team up with who are interested in the same kinds of things that you are interested in such as a specific sector that looks like it has potential. We also have an annual get - together. This year [2007] it will be in San Diego.

Get the most out of VF by attempting to form small groups or partnerships with other people who want to learn about a specific sector or industry's potential opportunity for profits, and want to know the best companies to purchase. Other useful topics are which companies are the best in any sector, which are the most timely to purchase, and which have risk, how much risk, and when to avoid.

I extend my hand to any or all who wish to self teach and share knowledge about investing in a constructive and respectful manner. We can help each other to learn how to make money in the markets. Life long learning is what it's all about.

If you click on the "My Settings & Portfolios" setting at the top of the page you'll see on the right hand side of that page an option titled "Change my embedded feedback setting to:" If you choose the option, "Embed comments" any comments given a post, along with thumbs, will appear at the bottom of every post. Hopefully general use of this option will encourage everyone to make use of this for brief responses, additions & suggestions, rather than generating another seperate post. The larger the membership, the more difficult it becomes to read all the post.

This feature does limit the length of your comments but often that's a usefull discipline in forcing you to make your point succinctly. Starting there first should also help you decide if another seperate post will really add to the discussion or contribute further worthwhile information.

This is one of the brightest and most generous groups you will ever come across. While I firmly believe everyone has something to contribute to the collective wisdom, this is pretty much a left-brain group. Facts, evidence, and reasoned argument will earn you respect, even if some disagree with you. Political rants, emotional ventilation, and personal attacks will get you ignored or worse. Be considerate of the time of the members: don't post something unless you put some effort into it or it is something of clear interest relating to investing. This is not a Yahoo board full of morons trying to fill up their empty hours. Fill in your profile, at least to the extent you feel comfortable sharing information about yourself. It will help us get to know you.

That's about all the wisdom I can offer. As Bob says, "Let's go out and make some money." or something like that.

The search feature on the lower left of the discussion page is a great tool. If you have something to post but are unsure if it already been posted, do a search. Looking for the posts of a particular individual, do a search, etc.

What do VF members have in common? almost nothing except two very important qualities--sure, we all want to make money, but so does most of the world. Every VF member whose posts and comments I've read and every VF member I've met is a learner and many are excellent teachers. You've probably come to VF to learn something, but you will find that no school in the country could offer so many ideas and so much information backed by boots on the ground experience. Enjoy.

Read this stuff. Read it some more. If you find nothing of value to you, I'm sorry. I find that the best posts make me think and show me the way to very remunerative investments. I now know about subjects I never considered before, like coking coal, shipping rates, the uses of Molybdenum, and even a little bit of oil geology. Invest in things you can understand, but know that you can find the understanding here. Pay particular attention to BD, x, jbsbill, kauai gary, GWP, and Viking Fan. These guys are "helpers" who will try to show you how and why money can be made from investments.

5. This isn't Yahooland... no touting, no boasting, no trashing other members (flaming), and please no mindless posts about where's my divy or ZZZZ goes x-dividend today. Cutting down on clutter helps maintain the value of the board.

6. We have lots of interesting personalities here. You will get some good laughs as well as interesting investment ideas.

Welcome to a very precious wellspring of knowledge, support, education, comeraderie, and deep,lasting friendships. The main threads of this tapestry are respect and contribution. Based on my observation, I have found this to truly be a community unlike any other that I've ever encountered. As for the issue of respect; "don't pee in the pool". Feeling incontinent? Go to the CoffeeShop. Regarding contribution: First step would be to fill out your profile, second would be to hit the "VF How To Guide" at the top of the screen (as well as the "Investing Resources" tab) and, finally, lurk and observe a bit to "kick the tires" and get the "flavor".

After saying all that, I can say that this is a big group of diverse members and this isn't the Garden of Eden. I have offended some and some have offended me over the years. When that happens, take your heart off of your sleeve, be gracious, and remember the tapestry: respect.

I like ValueForum because of the variety and high quality of the best posts. Nobody her is trying to sell me anything. No political distractions.

To get the most from VF I try and pay attention to the best posters even when I disagree with them. I try and comment about my differences in a polite and respectful manner and attach my links justifying my views.

My recommendation to new and established members is in order to get the most from VF post your views with documentation attached. Wear your body armor when you post. Do not get angry at critical, negative or abusive comments. Ignore ankle biters. Reply only to serious critical comments with clarification and more documentation if needed. My best ideas are the ones that can stand up to criticism. When I am wrong promptly admit it.

I cannot begin to express my appreciation for those that regularly contribute their expertise and their analysts, reports. A lifetime of learning and reading for me.

I try and contribute only pertinent information on the main board and keep political or personal comments to a minimum. I research before asking for additional help and try and keep all comments constructive if not positive.

1. The best thing about VF is the quality and diversity of knowledge and opinion.

2. We make a serious attempt to read everything posted and digest the content. We have Identied the posters who have great advice and great track records, in line with our investing style.

3. We use the information gleaned from the posts to form an opinion about long term economic issues. i.e., the price of gold will be higher in the future, or this will be a great year for companies selling fertilizer. . .

4. We then try to identify 3 to 5 companies within the favored sector and buy 1 to 3% positions. When we are very confidet in a company we invest up to 5%.

5. We look for positions that will grow over a 6 to 24 month time frame. Even though it is frequently tempting, we rarely try to time the market. Buy and hold has worked extremely well for us. Every investor should identify his or her style and comfort levels. . .

6. We have learned to try to sell too soon. After a few years of trying to hit the very top and always missing, we learned to use the 20-60-20 rule. Buy within 20% of the bottom, sell within 20% of the top and enjoy 60% of the gains.

7. Never get too far behind in keeping up with the forum. We always miss something important when we do.

VF is an awesome community of bright, serious, passionate and involved individual investors. Information is well organized into fine-grained topics and discussions are always on topic and relevant. People here certainly know what value is and this site itself is a great reflection of that. I feel honored and privileged to have found such a great resource and to be part of it!

Hi, This board has been a virtual life saver for me and my children's portfolios. I was heavily weighted in a stk that suddenly lost almost all its value and this board has given me the confidence and the ability to start making it back quickly.

My advice to new comers is to just read the postings for awhile and get a feel for the characters on the board and the type of stks that they have expertise in. Then select a board member that you have an affinity for and read all his/her postings as a grouping to get an even better feel and then finally dip your toe in to contribute.

This board is a tough group and contributions that are not percieved to add value will be red thumbed and generally "dissed" but if you can explain your post you will get retractions if not group hugs....this is not a very group hugging type group. LOL! but it sure is a collective of smart, savy, diverse, successful and sometimes even funny and erudite group of investors.

I have been a VF subscriber for one year and have found the members here generally to be informed, intelligent, articulate people of good will. The knowledge I've gathered has been well worth the price of tuition, and the subscription fee has been repaid many-fold in investment gains.

To be sure, VF is my primary investment resource. I am on here all day , every day, including weekends. My investment philosophy has been totally reshaped by people like Bonddaddy and anabasis and Corvettekid.

Because of them, I finally began to make some serious money in the market.

But I never post. I recommend a lot, but I never post. First, because I'm no way as smart as these guys.

Second, because, as I have reminded myself: We are here to make money.

We are not here to make cheap political points with people we would never meet socially.

If the brightest minds on VF hate liberals and Obama and the Clintons -- or if the consensus on VF is to disparage even enlightened capitalists like Cramer and Soros -- then this is a minor annoyance, the price to pay to learn from the vast experience that they so generously share.

This is a very professionally maintained forum, both by owner/managers and members. It is advisable to lurk for a while to get a sense of the culture and to learn what is deemed valuable and what is not tolerated. Welcome! Bob

I found Valueforum to be a safe haven in the unscrupulous world of web based financial groups and chat boards. Pumping stocks is frowned upon. Personal attacks are prohibited. All non-investment related posts are relegated to a sister site called the Coffee Shop. The current user base includes highly knowledgeable individuals, many with industry specific expertise that is hard to find anywhere else.

This is a site for sharing information about the atypical investments that the majority of investors have not discovered. It is about finding the next value/growth sector/investment before all the major houses on the Street are recommending it.

The development team responsible for this site is the most responsive to users that I have ever seen. The majority of updates are based on user recommendations and/or requests.

The beauty of the site is that it works well for all members, from the beginner to the advanced user. Various configuration options allow for customization of the site to meet specific user needs.

Advanced filtering and search features provide for quick access to posts by topics, authors and/or keywords within a specific time period. You can track your portfolio(s) on the site and share portfolio data with the other members. The stock rating features provide users with the ability to rate individual stocks and describe the reasons for the ratings. Many additional features are available to the members.

This site is a gem, and based on the posts by many members and my personal experience it is a site for learning, sharing and especially making money.

I have been a member of VF since its beginning month: November 2003. I had been a lurker on the old Yahoo TEI board which had degenerated to almost uselessness for a variety of reasons. The operators of VF saw a need and underwrote the establishment of this board which has been a "godsend" to someone such as I who is retired and needs the skills and knowledge to generate extra income from his investments.

On this board you will find some very bright individuals, many of whom are retired or semi-retired and have held positions of considerable responsibility during their working careers. You will also find many who are still in their working careers who find time out of their busy days to contribute what they can to this board for the benefit of the group.

It is almost eerie how many securities have been "tagged" by this group long before Wall Street "catches on". As a result, if you keep up with the posts on a regular basis, you should become aware of upcoming trends earlier than if you try to do so by reading the news media. You will find opinions and recommendations not only from US-based posters, but from many who live abroad and can add challenging perspectives of their own.

The cost of VF is a pittance compared to the benefits you will receive. I highly recommend that if you are a serious investor who is tired of being fleeced by the Wall Street crowd, join VF on a trial basis and experience its benefits first hand.

The most important thing I have learned at VF in the last 3 years reading all you smart peoples posts is money management. This is usually not taught by our parents. Money management is risk management. Two sets of skill come to mind: investment skill and money management. Money management is strategic. You examine your pot of money and determine each investment size. Is this speculation? 0.5%. Is this a company stock? 1-3%, Is this cef? 3-5% Is this ETF? 5-10% . Risk management allows you to comeback after mis-steps. If risk management is right, you will make money when investment is right. Risk management and keeping your eyes on the ball and measuring avoid ruins. Now VF has so many wonderful contributors. So cool! No other place can you see so many experienced people post their portfolios regularly. Investment usually is a very private thing. Studying other people's approach is most beneficial. It takes a community to keep it unpolluted. Let's keep it this way.

You will find here a wealth of information and depth of experience/knowledge rare on the World Wide Web. The conditions that have allowed this to develop are privacy, mutual respect, strict censorship of yelling, screaming, pumping, and obscenity and amazing SysOps and a well designed interface. Explore all of this first before posting and let others know you are new to the group. While there is a sincere effort to be welcoming and appreciative it takes a while to find out the customs of this tribe and not all are explicit.

The rewards are you will learn more about investing and interesting leads to new areas of investment. "Outside" reports and summaries are often reported here that can be very helpful in extending what you read and attend to.

Take strongly held opinions, wise-cracks, and political debate to the Coffee Shop or you will be gently or strongly directed to do so. PapaOwls jokes get me through bad days.

As a new VF'er I enjoy the uncommon insights which fellow members bring into investment situations. I also enjoy the access to reports and other information that I normally wouldn't have access to. Great website.

There are some real smart folks here at ValueForum. The only downside is the volume of posts makes it difficult to keep up, so learn to use ignore topic feature or to click on the topic that interests you so you can see specific posts.

I have been investing for 37 years, starting with mutual funds and then stocks. I have been through a long series of advisors, newsletters and an assortment of shikesters who caused me to perform poorly in the market. I have stayed too long with my former employer's stock and am now in the process of gradually weaning myself away from it through the use of covered calls. I am finding that VF is a fantastic discussion board made up of some very smart, intuitive people who have no hidden agenda in making their recommendations. I highly recommend you get involved with VF for fun and profit!

I like VF because its members are passionate about their investments and dont post hype and spam. I have a Peter Lynch style, so I will write about what I know and comment on my expertise from 22 years at Forbes, writing about investments.

Hello Members, My name in Carole Laird and I'm originally from "Bonnie Scotland" I moved to Florida 12 years ago and I'm now a proud American citizen. I do miss Scotland, but living in Florida makes Scotland's weather a distant memory! I joined a few months ago and have been reading all your interesting posts. I've had a Scottrade account for the last 6 years, I opened it after watching Jim Cramer on TV. Although I now realize not to buy or sell on his say so, he was instrumental in getting me interested in the stock market! My friend Jane, a valued member of VF, recommended I join, so I did! I'm hoping to attend Inve$tFe$t with my husband Bill. Scotty

I have been a VF member now for some time, and yet am continually astounded at the work that many members are willing to undertake and share. The standard for posting is high, and while that is and can be a daunting prospect, members are generally supportive of posts which evidence the effort and thought of the poster. Especially new posters. So share that special knowledge, experience, or insight that you possess. Welcome to VF!

When I started with VF, I truly was a "newby". That's still my VF handle, but I no longer feel like such a "newby". The information I've learned, besides the $$$ I've made, could not have been accomplished at any other web-site. The one problem I have found is that Valueforum is addictive. This is such an excellent group of smart, investment savvy investors that I'm always afraid I'm going to miss something by not reading all the messages. Our retirement has been a financial success due entirely to VF.

I like Value Forum for its purpose of providing information that can be used to make investment decisions. I think the main thing to avoid is pumping a stock or a point of view in which there is no additional information that can be used to understand why you are posting. A poster needs to be thoughtful about what info is to be conveyed so as to not waste anyone's time.

VF is my most trusted market diligence source for no-nonsense, no hype dicussions. I don't always agree with every message i read, but often time find myself learning from other perspectives I may have failed to consider. I appreciate the valuable input everyone shares and the VF team for keeping it real.

Value Forum has been the most valuable tool I have ever come across when it comes to managing my investments. I can honestly say that the information shared on Value Forum has led me to retire earlier than expected. It is a wonderful community of professionals and non-professionals who share information about financial assets, including commodities, stocks, bonds, reits, preferreds, oil and gas companies, etc, etc. What I am most interested in is high yielding investments, with some growth prospects, to help me in retirement. Value Forum has filled that bill nicely. There is no agenda, at least that I can see, and you can participate or not participate. This is a wonderful investment site, period.

Respect others Listen to all viewpoints Good Manners All ideas are good ideas but they may be wrong today Time is either your friend or enemy Vigorous debate is the most valuable asset of VF Good Manners There are no simple answers but experts make them look simple

I used to lose money on my "investments." Now, thanks to Value Forum, I invest in value situations, receive good dividends and watch my portfolio grow. I have been a member for nine years and way more than doubled my portfolio in that time, even through the 2008/2009 collapse.

There is no better bulletin board on the internet. Be prepared for lively..occasionally contentious debate...but along with that is the best investing information you will find anywhere. Post when you feel comfortable and get ready to make some money!! :)

There is a lot of information shared by many contributors on this forum. This can lead to an overflow situation where there is insufficient time to do DD on all that is recommended. It's best just to pick areas you are familiar with to start with and then venture forth into some of the unknown areas. This is a very nice group of people to be associated with. I hope you enjoy this site as much as I do. Welcome to VF and success in your investing. Bob

Welcome to the most valuable and friendly group of folks you will ever meet. Please become a part of the group by completing your profile, and eventually share your portfolio. It is amazing how easy it will become.

There is power in numbers. It's obvious that most brokers don't have a clue of what they recommend to clients. Rarely do the own what they are talking about. Here at VF it's real. Real people with real positions giving their takes on the good w/ the bad. "Knowldege always beats strength" is a great quote. Here, at VF, I hope to see the sharing of knowledge become our strength.

It has provided me with eye opening information on a wide scale. The collective wisdom of the membership is astounding and somewhat intimidating; but useful input is appreciated pretty universally.

Please fill out your profile so that the members reading your comments can get an idea of where you're coming from. Also be sure to add insight and analysis to your posts. Throwing out random bits of unsubstantiated information won't be much appreciated.

Most of all, cherish the opportunity to converse and learn from an extremely gifted group of investors!

VFis valuable bc of the exceptional people who post here, and bc the best of them are candid, detailed and informed. There is little tolerance for the bs found on most public boards, and management and members are vigilant and aggressive about TOS violations. VF is the gold standard.

You have just entered a school of Masters...Here you will meet some of the Best people in the country, They work hard at what they do...be courteous, this is not a contest on who is top dog....It's a hard working group of people, from all walks of life, trying to help each other....the way the world should be..............I thank them

There are a lot of smart people here who are willing to share their thoughts and ideas. There are some who are very venturesome and others very conservative. Pick and choose what you believe in and enjoy.

This is the most knowledgable board I've ever been assocaiated with (23 years). It is also the most unselfish and there is never any name calling or putting members down. This board has helped me be very successful. All the good guys are here---Peaceb2u

I have found VF very useful in bring stocks to my attention. Even more important to me is the debate over macro issues, such as where is the economy going, the outlook for the dollar and prrecious and base metals. There are always dissenters to the majority veiw, and this is of great help.

I absolutely LOVE Value Forum, and consider this site the most important tool I have for investing and/or trading because of the incredible information at just one site. I have learned so much from reading messages posted here that I recommend to the new comer to select an area of investing that is of interest and then read those posts starting with most current. I am sure you will gain information and learn techniques that can be applied to other areas/sectors of investing. This is an "Invaluable" forum.

This forum is the best I have come across. There is a very deep level of knowledge across all sectors. There is no hyping/pumping as seen in many public forums - here posters provide sound reasoning and rational analysis to support their positions.

Hello, Lisa here from Eagle, Idaho. Just joined VF & I see it will take some time to get my bearings. Have spent the last few days following some discussions and see I am in the company of a group full of helpful, knowledgeable & generous people. Cheers,Lisa

I'm new to this site but always research your resources before investing. Patience can be rewarding with time. This site is can be a wealth of investment information but still do your DD. Everyone has an opinion but those who have an opinion with reasoning and fact, backing them up, get my respect.

This forum has helped me become a much better investor, the knowledge of the members is incredible, their willingness to teach and learn from eachother is great. I have enjoyed being a part of this forum since the day I joined. I recommend everyone to spend some time reading the postings before starting to post themselves, this way you can see the culture of the community. Welcome to this community of learners, practitioners and teachers.

I am a new member excited to learn more about the world of investing. About 8 years ago when I discovered that I had very little in the way of assets I started to save and save. Since I wanted my savings to earn more money I started to learn about all the different financial vehicles. I discovered the world of stocks and the the beautiful patterns of the charts. Always wanting to seek more knowlege I read about the site in Forbes and decided to sign up for awhile to see if I would fit in here

Guidance: I'm no expert, but I have found it useful to bookmark broad areas rather than narrow sub-areas. For example, I select the areas of Income Investing, rather than Canadian Trusts; And Energy, rather than Oil, Natural Gas or other sub-areas.

Also, learn about trailing stops. I'm about to move my Vanguard account to Schwab because Vanguard won't do trailing stops.

Testimonial: Value Forum gives you a chance to learn from people who aren't trying to sell you anything, just willing to give away their sincere thoughts. Never have I felt anyone on VF was telling anything but his own opinion. I have made a lot of money from information on VF.

I really began my membership at the Invest Fest in Arlington VA this year (2011). Although my inclination was to feel pretty intimidated by the brain power and investment acumen of the members that I met, I quickly discovered how friendly everyone was and how willing to share information and advice. As with anything, I think you will get out of it what you put into it - I am challenged by my desire to become knowledgable enough to give back to the VF community in a meaningful way.

what i like about value forum that it's great community for sharing ideas about investing. I would think of this as a family where you help one another succeed in their goals investing. I am a newbie at this stage of the game. Hoping to learn and absorb as much knowledge as I can in this new adventure. Looking forward to the contributing to the forum in one form or the other once I understand how this all works it may take awhile so bear with me. :)

I'm very new to this site but one thing I can tell you from what investing experience I have is to consult all other resources possible before investing your hard earned dollars. This site is no doubt a wealth of investment information. Remember "Do not invest until all the others say they pass the test". One thing I realy like is the way all the info in the VF site is organized and easy to read. Of course I will have more to offer as I familiarize myself with the site.

Valueforum is helping investors to pick the right stocks at the right time with special weight on an equal balance of total return and current dividend income. A balanced portfolio of opportunities can be constructed, if investors follow the guideline. With superior market insights, correct measures can be taken to prevent substantial portfolio losses.

After a year of membership, I am still reluctant to post due to the enormous respect I have for the intelligence and experience I see in the information provided by others. But now I am gradually learning to begin....slowly. Unlike Yahoo, this is NOT a place where blind hype or bashing is long tolerated. Fill out your profile as soon as possible and don't brag. Be generous and respectful.

I like valued information. I think VF members remind me of a good investment club. I do not like opinions of those who do not own a stock and yet comment on it either way. But opinions are like rear ends everybody has one. False and misleading comments are harmful in this nervous wolrd. I think I have learned a lot viewing the occasional posts of some more serious investors here.

You have entree to sacred ground. Respect it, cherish it, and leave it better for your visit. This institution is precious and fragile, and that it has survived so long is strong evidence of the honorable intentions of everyone. Welcome!

Valueforum is very valuable as a discussion and information of informed, intelligent and reasonale retail investors, many of whom are passionate about specific sectors and all of whom are interested in sharing their knowledge. VF is invaluable to me as a retail investor.

I have recommended many old members of my old Canroy board to VF. I have doubled my net worth in the 3 years I have been a VF member, A little late in life on the road to 100 (Now 93). I have 10 grandchildren who are my favorite charity thru their 529s and in Ohio we get credit tax wise for the contributions, $2000 per account, Max of $6000) a year credit, but balance carried forward.

I have found that the members of VF are some of the most knowledgeable investors out there. As I look to develop my portfolio I feel confident reading the posts of various members who are atune to the volatility of the market can only benefit my in my personal endeavors.

Greetings and the best to you. My experience with the forum is quite new. What I can tell you is to be studious in your endeavor here. If you are willing to apply yourself, you will learn of things and expand your knowledge base beyond belief. You will then be able to apply this information to become more aware of the environment in which you live. The lasting result will be "to have fun and make some money" not my quote btw!

Welcome, I believe the collective intelligence is the best tool to succeed in Business and Life, share your ideas with respect and learn from others. That's what VF will allow us to do, I'm glad to be here to hear about great investment ideas from multiple points of view.

VF is a great group of value seeking investors, who are most generous in sharing their research, news, business expertise, and investment experience. It is an invaluable resource, and brings many "lessons learned" to the group.

At "VF" I have met some of the greatest givers from all walks of life and from all parts of the world..

I thank each of them for sharing part of their life and knowledge with me.

I expect the following from new members as well as present members.

We should give as we would receive, cheerfully, quickly, and without hesitation; for there is no grace in a benefit that sticks to the fingers. Author: Seneca 4 B.C. 65 A.D., Spanish-born Roman Statesman, philosopher

Sarcasm I now see to be, in general, the language of the devil; for which reason I have long since as good as renounced it.

None are more unjust in their judgments of others than those who have a high opinion of themselves.

Even experienced investors have problems with biases and person blind spots; the Investment Psychology books describe these problems, but offer no easy solutions. VF is a way to test your world-view, and view of a particular investment, against the objective views of investors who don't have your particular blind spots. If I'm positive on a stock, I value another's negative opinion (along with good reasons) more than just a positive reinforcement of a decision I've already reached. I feel my subscription money has been well-spent.

I hope to gain from some very experienced and knowledgeable people as well as share some of my insights. Update: I have been a member for over a year now. The annual fee is well worth it, read and learn. One bit of advice, read the Acclaimed Contributions tab and you will find many good posts with very worthwhile information. I have not been to InvestFest yet, but from all accounts it is life changing. I hope to go soon. Best of luck to all who read this. :-)

It would be my hope that every post has something of substance in it. Even when asking a question I believe it's possible to share an insight one has about the company or show that you've made even a basic attempt to answer it yourself. For instance, "Why is ERF down today? I looked at xxxx which normally has CanRoy news but there's no postings."

I really agree with cooperation and teaching but I am dead set against handouts. The most basic effort will be rewarded 100x over with me.

It's also possible to provide constructive feedback on a posting using the thumbnail comments. I wish these were used more often.

If you read a post that someone has clearly put some time into, give them a pat on the back. Even if you don't understand what they were talking about. It takes time and energy to create a post and a simple green check is nice acknowledgement.

I was lucky to find this board in it's early days. The information and thoughts from it's members help me immensely. It just tops anything else I have subscribed to, but I do keep my Wall Street Journal Online subscription so I have access to any links others provide. Recently the Admin has provided summaries from the likes of Jim Cramer. Now I can find out what he's talking about so I don't need to sit in front of the tv to see all his antics which is more than I can take.

Investing would be a whole lot more difficult and a lot less fun without this board. So many ideas here to investigate, I always have lists of possible investment candidates.

Again, I am new to this website. My only advice is to NOT get Overwhelmed with the amount of information that you will find. I did at first and it pushed me back. Stick to your own interests, industries, sectors and symbols in the Discussion Form. To me, the experience is more manageable when I keep it simple.

VF is a great place to obtain stock ideas. I read all the posts as I have found that often the people with very few stars offer good ideas that are just as valuable as the more popular posters. Some of the people with mega stars rarely post anything but cut and paste stuff from other sites. Some posters are so interested in politics that stock ideas are rare from them. There are many investing styles on VF. It's up to you to figure out what approach works for you and to do your own due diligence on any ideas. But this is the best place I know to find stock ideas to research and easily worth the money for that alone.

I like being able to request information on a specific stock and see what other VF members have to say about it. I find this extremely helpful when considering my trades. There are many members possessing a great deal of knowledge and intelligence. Because of this you can expect to learn by simply reading. Hope you stay in the loop and join Value Forum. You won't regret it.

I find ValueForum an essential piece of my investing routine. Great insights and also timely news are always to be found here. I always look forward to curling up and reading what the Valueforum crew has to say!

This is a good website with many smart investors. However, do not bet the farm. Follow the rules of investing. Diversify. Be patient. Buy quality. Set stop limits if you wish. If losses are mounting, avoid pride or simply being in denial. It's okay to sell.

Many investors, including me, have recently been reminded of how quickly the market can turn against a sector (energy).

I would also recommend avoiding highly indebted businesses. If you have a desire to speculate, do it with a small percentage of your assets.

Best way to gain from this website is to read posts and the investment reports posted by generous people here. It is an education.

Being Patient is everything for me comes to stock investing, I know that's my weakness, even I try to remind myself everyday, still making mistakes. That's why I join the VF and want to learn from VF members.

Value Forum was and is one of my top information center, on staying up to what is happening to the finance community,(not necessarily wallstreet but what the thinking is of individual investors. to me that is valueable resource. Wheather you are active in posting or a lurker learning or injesting the great dialogue among its posters you will learn,learn and learn. The other main reason is Value Forum has a very civil format, all members respect each other. While they may disagree on how or what to invest or why, they still respect a position. Value forum is a great part of my retirement life, it fills my day with great advice, and enjoyment. The plus of all of the above is once in a while i will make a little green. Thanks to all the great members that allow this to happen. Bob

After reading a few of the posts, and getting a sense for the VF culture, I feel privileged to have joined this site yesterday. My background is in the Molecular Biology/Biotech field. Figured I'd learn about investing from the gurus in this space. However, I also look forward to soaking up all kinds of knowledge from the Masters in Investing, and eventually should the blessings flow contributing meaningfully to the betterment of the economically disadvantaged in society.

I cannot say enough about Value Forum. I am a novice investor and have limited time, tools or knowledge to research investments. Value Forum gives me the opportunity to communicate with some of the most knowledgeable people that are truly trying to help, not get a commission. This membership is the best investment I have made.

Random member testimonial: "This is the most knowledgable group I've ever been associated with (23 years). It is also the most unselfish and there is never any name calling or putting members down. ValueForum has helped me be very successful." more testimonials »